Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 2, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Toy manufacturer Hasbro plans to bring its most successful board games to the cinema. According to the Wall Street Journal, the toy giant is currently in Hollywood looking for potential directors and is establishing its own office at partner Universal. The two companies agreed last year to collaborate on film adaptations of classic games such as Monopoly and Ouija. Hasbro licenses the rights to the board games and characters to Universal, while the studio handles production and the associated costs. Box-office revenue then goes directly to Universal.
Hasbro, for its part, manages the business involving the corresponding toys and passes a small share of sales revenue to Universal. The partnership involves little risk for the toy manufacturer, and Hasbro also has a say in the films’ creative execution. According to the company, this is intended to ensure that none of the original character of the board games is lost on the big screen. Hasbro has already taken its first step toward Hollywood with “Transformers.” Although it was not yet a board game, the adaptation of the cult toy was a success.
“The more than 100-year history of film has shown that there are hardly any limits to imagination. We trust the expertise of our colleagues in Hollywood,” René Wörns, Commercial Director at Hasbro Germany, told pressetext.de. Universal and Hasbro have already made an initial thematic selection of the games to be adapted. “Hasbro generally focuses on optimizing its brand portfolio as globally as possible, so the strongest international properties are usually also the leading properties in this country,” Wörns added. The agreement between Hasbro and the studio covers at least four films within six years for the time being. The first is scheduled to reach cinemas in 2010.
Following the example of comic-book and superhero adaptations, the toy company hopes board games can also be staged successfully. Whether the process will ultimately be as straightforward as it was with Spider-Man and company remains to be seen. The 1985 film adaptation of Cluedo—then still marketed independently by Parker—was a box-office failure, although the crime comedy has since achieved cult status among fans. Hasbro declined to comment on the possible reasons for the flop, pointing out that the film was made before its acquisition of Parker in 1991.
